A bit of marketing satire from Christian Science Monitor's Ron Charles. A Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak for $29.95? Now there's a deal!
From The Leaky Cauldron:
"We've just received a release that confirms the rumored date of June 4, 2004 for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban's release date. Now, this came through the US instead of the UK, and confirmation with WB is still pending, but this is the first official anything we've received on that date. So pencil in an "X" on the calendar and stay tuned.
EDIT: Early word is that this is still wishful thinking by PR companies and no one's really made the decision yet. It could very well be that the companies just need a placeholder, which is why this date is being thrown around. In any event, that's what's being used as "official" for now, and we'll let you know when we hear from the WB."
This movie can not come out soon enough. I hope there are not too many delays. Apparently they're filming again despite the rain!
The next Harry Potter book is expected to shatter sales records in the United States when it is released next month, its US publisher has told a newspaper. Publisher Scholastic told the Wall Street Journal it was planning its most extensive ever marketing campaign for the book.
The biggest US bookseller, Barnes and Noble, said the book would be "our largest single seller in the history of the entire company, most definitely".
Scholastic will ship 8.5 million copies of the book to shops in time for its release.
Heavy rain spoiled play for Harry Potter and his co-stars in Glencoe yesterday. Young wizard actor Daniel Radcliffe and his schoolmate co-stars were sent to their portable-building classroom for study lessons as the bad weather halted filming on the set.
Daniel, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were spotted laughing and joking under the cover of a huge umbrella as they made their way down the hill from Hagrid's Hut, built near the Clachaig Inn, in the teeming rain.
The rain also stopped outdoor filming on Tuesday, and the crew had to film interior scenes for the movie in Fort William.
It is understood that the dark scenes when an executioner visits Hagrid's Hut were put together then, and Professor Dumbledore - played by Michael Gambon - was also at work.
A forklift truck driver at a printing firm today admitted stealing pages from the new Harry Potter novel.
Donald Parfitt, 44, of Worlingham, Suffolk, found the pages in the car park of the firm where the book is being printed, put them into his lunchbox then tried to sell them to a newspaper.
Magistrates at Lowestoft, Suffolk, adjourned sentencing until June 4 for reports. They told Parfitt that "all options" would be considered.
James Terry, prosecuting, said the theft came to light after a man called James telephoned The Sun on May 5 offering to sell the first three chapters of Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix for £25,000.
He said reporters arranged a meeting and alerted police and Parfitt was subsequently arrested.
Mr Terry said Parfitt worked at Clays printers in Bungay, Suffolk, where the book - which is due out on June 21 and is the fifth of JK Rowling's bestselling series - is being printed.
Parfitt told police that he found the pages in a car park at Clays and saw it as an opportunity to make money.
Richard Mann, defending, said Parfitt was sorry.
"He has said the same thing throughout," said Mr Mann. "He is a man who desperately wishes this whole episode hadn't occurred at all... He is very much a broken man. The whole world knows he has been charged with this high profile offence. His name is now associated with dishonesty. He thinks he's going to lose a lot of friends. He is certainly someone who will lose his job."
Two 16-year-old boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted receiving stolen property following the theft of the Harry Potter material. Both boys live near Beccles, Suffolk. Their case was adjourned to a later date.
PoA filming moves to Glen Coe, Scotland this week, including the shooting of the werewolf scene on the shores of Lake Eilt. The cast and crew of the movie are bracing themselves for an invasion of tourists and film fans determined to catch a glimpse of the stars.
One experienced insider on the film predicted there could be as many as 1000 sightseers and said it was a 'major worry' that they could disrupt shooting.
Already, film and tourist offices have had to deal with many calls asking directions to the locations. A steady stream of tourists, including fans from overseas, have made special trips to see the sets, even before the arrival of the stars. A film company employee told reporters 'I don't think there's a hotel in the area that has not called me to see if they can arrange some kind of trip for their guests.'
A 44-year-old man has been charged with stealing manuscripts of the new Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix novel.
Donald Parfitt, of Worlingham, Suffolk, an employee of Clays printing firm in Bungay, was released on bail to appear before magistrates in Lowestoft on May 14, a police spokesman said.
Garry Cox, 18, of Harleston, Norfolk, and two 16-year-old boys from Beccles, Suffolk, have been charged with handling stolen goods and will also appear before Lowestoft magistrates on May 14.
LONDON (Reuters) - British police investigating the alleged theft of advance copies of the eagerly awaited new Harry Potter book said on Thursday they had arrested four people.
Copies of 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' to be published on June 21, were found earlier this week dumped in a field.
Police said in a statement that two 16-year-old boys and two men aged 18 and 44 were held in raids in Suffolk, eastern England late on Wednesday.
They were due to question the four, all from Suffolk, on suspicion of theft and trying to obtain property by deception.
This just in at the Leaky Cauldron....
Victoria, a reporter in the UK, interviewed Sir Ian McKellan this weekend about X2, and he also spoke about the Harry Potter series and his friends in the cast. She sent us this report:
Sir Ian Mckellen told the audience that he was sitting next Alan Rickman at showing of Ghosts, a play at the Barbican Centre in London that afternoon (3rd May) and that he asked Alan how the filming on was going. "All well and good," replied Mr. Rickman. "Except Mike Gambon and his Fart Machine."
"Fart machine?" said Sir Ian.
"Yes, he put it in Harry Potter's bed when we were filming..."
Also, during the Q&A at the end of the talk Sir Ian was asked whether he would like to give advice to Sir Michael Gambon on playing a wizard. "I do not think that I could give advice to Sir Mike on anything; he will be very good. I hear that he took a very long time to negotiate his fee for playing Dumbledore so he must know what he is doing...."
The Sun Newspaper is running an exclusive today. Two copies of the new Harry Potter Book were found in a field and handed to them - they haven't given away any of the plot details. Full story here.
Sounds like some other dodgy character has a copy he's trying to sell to the highest bidder though, so there is a danger of parts of the story being leaked in advance.
"Just when you thought nothing could top the launch of the biggest book of the year, Newsround can exclusively tell you JK Rowling plans to read from her latest book. In front of over 4,000 school children...."
Oh, to be 12 again!
Update: Scholastic Announces Harry Potter Contest for American Kids. Ten lucky winners will attend the June 26th reading....